Vegetable Terrine

Yvette van Boven, author of Home Made is big into preserving. Pickling, smoking, curing, and confit-ing are just a few of the ways she creates shelf-stable edibles in her new book. Her lovely Vegetable Terrine uses olive oil to preserve thin slices of summer eggplant, zucchini, and peppers.

Just like its meatier inspiration, this terrine is layered and left for a day or two to compact and infuse the layers of vegetables with a vibrantly green basil oil. A big part of the excitement of a terrine is the dramatic unwrapping, and this one doesn't disappoint.

When you've removed it from the mold and are ready to slice it, the layers of red, black and pale green are striking and deeply flavored with notes of lemon and basil. Van Boven tops off her slices of preserved vegetable terrine with somewhat rustically with creamy, curdy cottage cheese brightened up by chopped dill, parsley, and chives.

Procedures

1

Cut the eggplants and zucchinis as thinly as possible on a mandolin or with a large sharp knife.

2

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 1 or 2 baking sheets with olive oil, rub with salt and pepper, and cover with the eggplant slices. Trickle olive oil on the eggplants and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 8–10 minutes until done. Repeat this process until all eggplant slices are baked.

3

Make the basil oil: Blitz all ingredients using a hand blender in a deep container. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

4

Generously line a cake loaf with plastic wrap, allowing the edges to hang over the rim. Then cover the bottom with a layer of eggplant slices. Arrange them overlapping in the pan. Continue to fill the pan with layers of raw zucchini and roasted bell peppers. Every three layers, cover with a dash of basil oil. End with a layer of eggplant. Fold the plastic wrap closed over the terrine.

5

Place something heavy (cans, carton of milk) on the terrine and place in a deep bowl, to prevent leaking, for at least 1 day in the refrigerator.

6

Make the cottage cheese with herbs immediately before serving: Finely chop all the herbs, stir through the cottage cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

7

Remove the vegetable terrine from the refrigerator. Thoroughly drain all oil. Open the plastic wrap at the top. Cover with a plate and transfer the terrine by turning it over onto the plate. Be careful, since moisture will be released from the dressing and vegetables. Pat the plate dry with paper towels. Cut the vegetable terrine into thick slices (use a sharp knife!) and serve with a dollop of cottage cheese with herbs.

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